Improvement in breech-loadinq ordnance



BEST AVAILABLE COPY T. 0, RICE. Breech-Loading- Ordnance.

No. 34,266. Patented Jan 2 186i.

o v r o ggy? lg nior BEST AVAILABLE COPY I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

T. 0. RICE, OF CAMBRIDGEPORT, MASSACHUSETTS.

impaovsmsnr m BREECH-LOADING oaonmos- Speeitication forming part of Letters Patent No. 340160, dated January 28, 1862.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, T. 0. RICE, of'Canibridgeport, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Breech-Loading Ordnance and Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification. in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal central section of a cannon with my improvement, representing also part of the carriage and the traverse and elevating mechanism. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the cannon in the plane indicated by the line a: x in Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin partsin the several figures.

-Aist1e bed or barrel of the gun, bored throughout, an counterbored from the rear as far as a, Fig. 1, to receive the metal cartridge b, both the powder and the projectile, and connterbored again still larger for a short distance, as shown at e in Fig. 1, for the reception of the flange provided round the rear of the cartridge-case, and the circular boss d, which rejects from the face of the slide B, and wh ch is made to fit to the said counterbore 0.

O is the ring or o a cap, having in the front part of its inter or a female-screw. c, to screw onto a male screw f, cut on the exterior ot' the rear ortion of its body. The opening 1, providct in the cap 0, in rear of the female screw 0, is much smaller than the interior of the said screw, being only just large enough for the flange of the cartridge to pass easily throu h it. he said cap has cut in it, from one she right across the openln g, the mortise i, for the reception of the side It. This mortise is parallel-sided, and is sailiciently wider than the opening 9, and extends snilicientiy beyond the said opcning, to form all round the said openin a good shoulder, j, to sup rt the slide aga nst the force of the explcs on of the cha acting in a rearward direction, and it is a shed on the opposite side of the openin g to that at which it enters the cap in a siren or form, as shown in Fig. 3, in which the form of the said mortise is shown mortise, on that side of the cap at which the slide enters there is a parallel-sided recess, 7:, (through w rich the section, Fig. 3, is taken,) wide enough and deep enough for the boss (I of the slide B to pass through. The slide B is made to tit the said mortise. Its face has projecting from it, beside the boss (I, a piece, I, (see Figs. 1 and 3,)0f suitable form to close the recess h, for the purpose of excluding dirt and moisture when the slide is closed. Its back is perfectly flat, with the exception of its having a shallow longitudinal groove, m, extending nearly its whole length, for the reception of the point of a small screw or pin, p, which is inserted through the rear of the cap, to prevent the slide from dropping entirely out of thecap when the latter is unscrewed far enough on the screw f to allow the slide to work freely in the mortise t. The vent a is drilled through the slide in the center of its boss (I. The cap is furnished with a handle, q, b which to turn it upon the screw f.

' T to operation of the breech for loading is as follows: The slide]! has three movementsviz. a circular movement, and a movement back and fOItlt with the cap 0, and a longitudinal movement in the mortise of the cap. A. half-tum of the cap backward upon the screw f draws the boss d from the counterborecof the body and another half-turn brin gs the entrance of the mortise to the lower side of the breech, and permits the slide to dro out of the mortise (as shown in red outline) as far as permitted by the length of the groove in, the inner end of which comes in contact with the stop-pin i, and this is far enough to permit the cartri go to be inserted through the o uiug g of the cap into the counterbored eham ra. Ahalf-tnrn of the cap in a forward direction brings the entrance of the mortisc to the top of the breech and permits the slide to drop back again into the mortise in front of the opcnin g, and with its boss d opposite the counter re 0, and another hall'- turn of the ca carries the slide forward with it and forces t 0 boss (1 into the said counterbore and closes the breech tightly, the ilange of the metal cartridge-ease forming a aeking and reventin the esca )e of gas. hen the gun ias been 1 red and t to breech opened, the cartridge-misc can be withdrawn by a suitable in dotted outline; and in the front of the said instrument and the gun maybe reloaded. The

BEST AVAlLABLE COPY firing maybe effected by a common'f rietio'n- The same construction of the breech maybe adapted to breech-loading rifles as well as to ordnance. For heavy ordnance the cap 0 may be turned by any suitable simple machinery. The slide may be worked by hand or by suitable mechanism, instead of being made to drop into and from its place, as described, and the breech maybe nm e to open and close with less than a whole turn of the cap.

I will remark that I consider this combination of the slide with the ring or cap, screwing onto the exterior of the body of the gun possesses the advantage over the slide and hollow male screw used in Armstrongs breechloading gun of makinga much stronger breech and being less likely to get out of order.

I disclaim the invention of the screw-ferrule or sleeve described in Patent No. 23,378, for closing the joint between the breech and barrel.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-,

The combination of the slide B with the screw-cap G and barrel A, substantially in the manner herein shown and described.

- T. 0. RICE.

\Vit-nesses:

H. DrLLmolmu, ALFRED M. Gmnoxs. 

